January 20, 2016

January 17, 2016 - Micah 3:5-12

Theme: The Herd
Mentality Can Protect or Endanger

1) It depends on
what you see as an enemy

2) It depends on what
you see as justice and equity

Oh the depth of
the riches of God’s knowledge, how unsearchable are His judgments and how
untraceable are His ways. That portion of His knowledge that is revealed to us
this morning comes from Micah 3:5-12:

Thus says
the Lord concerning the prophets who make my people stray; who chant
“Peace” while they chew with their teeth, but who prepare war against him who
puts nothing into their mouths: 6 “Therefore you shall have night without
vision, and you shall have darkness without divination; the sun shall go down
on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. 7 So the seers shall
be ashamed, and the diviners abashed; indeed they shall all cover their lips;
for there is no answer from God.” 8 But truly I am full of power
by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob
his transgression and to Israel his sin. 9 Now hear this, you heads of the
house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert
all equity, 10 Who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with
iniquity: 11 Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and
her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, “Is not
the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.” 12 Therefore
because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall
become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of
the forest.

In the name of
Jesus, the One to whom we confess our sins and the One who offers us free
forgiveness, dear fellow redeemed:

Lions have always
been my favorite animal and I especially enjoyed shows that revealed their
lives and habits on the African plain. It can be fascinating to watch lions
operate as the supreme predators that they are. They move with agility, speed,
and power, yet they are also smart in what they do and who they choose to
attack. On the outside the prey that lions hunt seems to be greatly outmatched.
As a child I often wondered why a lion would scheme and plan so much in a hunt.
Why not just attack immediately? The answer is that lions have to be cunning as
well as powerful. The prey that they seek, while often inferior to the lion on
their own, have great strength in numbers. No matter what animal you’re imagining,
whether zebras, gazelles, buffalos, elephants, or hippos, they congregate
together when a lion is around. They stay together for protection, and when
they do, a single lion cannot attack them and survive.

If you’ve ever
seen similar shows on lions or other predators, you know well that because of
the herd mentality of many animals, lions go after the weakest. If an animal is
injured or young, you can sure be that a lion will be smart enough to target
it. The fact that is, that animals that are hunted, stick together as close as
they can, for protection. When it comes to the ruthless life of the wilderness,
there is strength in numbers.

The Holy Spirit
would have us keep in mind this same principle as we think of our lives. God
has provided a way for us to have strength in numbers through the blessing of
Christian fellowship. Fellowship protects us from the attacks of Satan, whom
the Spirit tells us operates like a ravenous lion, seeking to devour our souls
(1 Peter 5:8). Yet, in order for us to thrive under the protection of
fellowship, we need to first understand what we’re up against. For the
herbivores on the African plains, the enemy is well-known. For us, although
Satan is as dangerous as a devouring lion, recognizing the danger isn’t always
easy. Satan is far more cunning and deceptive than any other predator, and many
times people have a hard time seeing his traps.

When things in
life are going well on the outside, there’s an increasing danger to get lazy
and complacent with in life. We can easily fall into a false sense of security
and become numb to the unique ways that Satan tries to get at us. It’s
important that we ask ourselves if we have reached this point in our lives. Do
we genuinely treasure everything that Jesus has done for us? Do we take
advantage of every opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge that God
freely offers? Are we busy building defenses against sin or are we partying in
the freedom we have through the gospel? Micah brought a message of judgment
upon Judah and Israel because they had become complacent and lazy when it came
to the security of their faith.

To examine ourselves,
we must first figure out what we see as the enemy. Do we let God speak through
His Word about right and wrong or have we allowed others to decide for us? Micah
describes how the prophets, seers and diviners claimed to have the right
message, but led the people astray. They chanted
“peace” when danger was at the door. Obviously, these teachers carried the
majority of the blame for this. But the people were also at fault for allowing
it to come to this point. God’s judgment would be upon them because they
allowed others to dictate where the danger was, instead of listening directly
to God. The result of this foolishness was just as Micah described; like the
plowing of a field. Israel and Judah’s spiritual lives were ready to be ripped
up.

In this case, the
herd mentality ruined God’s people. They joined into what was popular even
though it was void of the truth. The titles of “prophet, seer, or diviner” or
our modern day equivalents of “pastor, priest, or elder” mean nothing if the
message doesn’t come from God. Human credentials play a very minor role in
determining whether or not their words should be heeded. The same is true of
how the message makes you feel. I’m sure the majority of Israel and Judah
felt pretty good about the proclamation of peace. But that feeling alone didn’t
change reality. In truth, it probably made things even worse because they were
on the cusp of God’s judgement, when that’s the last thing they expected.

When we take the
time to recognize our enemies, let us heed the same message. Take your truth
from God, regardless of what others say. Certainly we should develop and build
relationships with those that we can trust. But it is God alone that we follow.
Leaders are here to help, but they don’t believe the message for us. The
blessings of fellowship only exist when the truth takes precedent. And so, when
God says, it’s a sin to curse and swear; it’s a sin to have lustful thoughts in
your heart; it’s a sin to be disrespectful; and no matter what else it may be –
we recognize those things as enemies to our souls, no matter how trivial we may
think they are.

Sin never becomes
less dangerous just because we feel at peace or because the majority is giving
in. Thinking like that is following the herd toward destruction, not
protection.

But recognizing the enemy is only the first step toward real peace
and life. Micah also says that having a proper handle on justice and equity is
important. The lies of peace from the false prophets led to a breakdown of
justice and equity. If you look closely in our text, you can see where Micah provides
the key. It’s easy to miss it if you don’t read the words carefully. In the
middle of describing the Lord’s judgment Micah adds the simple message of Law
and Gospel in v. 8: But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord,
and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel
his sin. Micah doesn’t need to dwell on his role or status before God, one
quick verse will say it all. His simple task, as it is with all believers, is
to preach sin and grace, repentance and forgiveness. That’s the true measure of
a Godly preacher, of one who has the Holy Spirit. He must be willing to
confront sin and not run from it by preaching an empty peace. This is true, not
because of qualities in the preacher or the hearer, but because the message of
Christ crucified for sins is the only lasting protection to gather around. This
is the herd mentality that saves. Our fellowship is meant to keep individual
Christians strong under the power of Christ. This can’t be done by lying
about the truth of sin, but it also can’t lead us to any real peace without the
promise of forgiveness. For every misstep off the path of God’s moral law,
Jesus is there to bring us back. In each moment of doubt concerning our
standing before God, Jesus has completed each requirement in our stead so that
we can rest in peace. This gospel is what gives us life, and so we gather
around it for protection from our enemies.

Micah describes the blessings of the gospel as equity and justice.
Israel and Judah abhorred these blessings when they forgot their enemy.

While the world may be scattered in belief about what exactly is
dangerous, no one denies that justice and equity are good things. It’s basic
human nature to seek justice and equity because we are moral creatures who are
aware of right and wrong. America especially prides itself on standing for the
ideals of justice and equity. Therefore, when God promises these blessings
through His Son, we have a striking point to talk about the gospel.

As Americans, we may feel protected because we have freedom to do
what we want but all sin make us slave. True freedom comes only through Christ’s
forgiveness of sins. He alone has broken sin’s grip on our lives. He is the
Great Physician who came for the sick and the dying. He is the righteous Man
who came for the sinners and the unholy. The fact that He is the only Savior
demands that those who come to Him are sinners who need help. They are the ones
who recognize the real enemy, even when it resides in their own hearts. And so,
it is also repentant sinners who feel the protection of God’s grace in the
gospel and in a fellowship that keeps that message of grace as the pinnacle of
faith.

Fellowship is a gift that is meant to protect us from Satan’s
dangers. But a fellowship will only be as strong as that from which is flows.
If the basis of fellowship is in the mentality of the world, where each is to
his own to determine the truth and to recognize the enemy, then we are more
susceptible to attack. By placing confidence in ourselves, we are immediately
marked by Satan as one who is weak. But, if the basis of our fellowship is in
the Word of God, and primarily of the gospel of Jesus, we have something that
Satan can’t defeat. The Word helps us readily determine the enemy and see his
tactics they come upon us. And we remain under God’s protection. But, through
the Word we also build our defenses and we can get to point that we can take
the fight to the enemy.

Some people say the best defense is offense. And that’s the way
the Gospel works. It may feel like we’re weak and exposed when we confess our
sins. But, then Christ strengthens us by forgiving our sins. He recharges us
with the gifts of justice and equity. He empowers to spread the glad tidings of
His resurrection victory to further scatter Satan’s ploys. Likewise, we may
feel misguided when so much of our faith contradicts the way the majority of
the world thinks. So many high profile voices condemn us as foolish and naïve.
We feel like an insignificant minority as Christians. And yet, when the Gospel
has control, none of accusations of the world matter. We have more hope in the
simple statement of our Savior, “Be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world.” than any other person could give
us.

Fellowship creates a herd mentality. But not all gatherings are
good. Sometimes, they can put you in danger. The key is in the foundation of
your fellowship. God desires to share with you the blessings of repentance and
forgiveness. Through that gospel we have hope for real justice, equity, and
peace. With God, the threats and danger of our enemies are clear. But, more
importantly, the blessing of His free promise is among us and within us.
Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will keep your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.

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Pastor Mark Tiefel

Pastor Mark S. Tiefel graduated from Immanuel Lutheran College and Seminary in Eau Claire, WI, in May of 2012. He previously served Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church. He was installed at Redemption on April 12, 2015.